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A challenge many supervisors face is gaining the trust of their employees. Developing trust can provide benefits in the employer-employee relationship, including opening interdepartmental lines of communication and making employees feel that they are being treated fairly. If you are seeking to build trust among your employees, you can achieve your goal by implementing a variety of basic methods that require minimal additional effort on your part.

Act with Integrity

As an employer or supervisor, acting with integrity can go a long way toward gaining the trust of your employees. Following through on promises like allowing an employee to leave early for completing a project ahead of schedule demonstrates your willingness to keep your word. On the other hand, if you lie to an employee, she may have difficulty believing in your ability to keep future promises, making it difficult to develop an effective working relationship.

Avoiding Favoritism

Supervisors may be tempted to favor workers whom they deem more productive or valuable over those possessing more ordinary abilities. By providing special favors to certain workers, such as allowing more leeway if they come in late or leave early, other workers may feel slighted or less important. A more effective method of developing trust is to make a point of treating all employees equally regardless of their status or level of contribution.

Establish a Presence

Supervisors who remain behind closed doors or interact infrequently with their staff may create the perception of aloofness or secrecy, which can lead to distrust. You can build trust by taking the time to visit employees in their work areas, even to chat informally for a few minutes. Establishing a presence can also make employees less apprehensive about approaching you with problems, about concerns or to offer feedback, which can pave the way for more open and honest communication.

Acknowledge Errors

Some supervisors may feel that admitting to and owning mistakes is a sign of weakness or incompetence. However, the failure to acknowledge an obvious mistake or attempting to cover one up can be viewed as a sign of dishonesty and lead to mistrust, especially when the mistake has a negative impact on employees, such as giving them incorrect information. Admitting a mistake can make you appear more "human" in the eyes of your employees and demonstrate that you are willing to practice personal integrity yourself.